Fighting the Banana Wars and other FAIRTRADE Battles - Book Review

Fighting the Banana Wars and other FAIRTRADE Battles
Harriet Lamb, CBE
Foreword by George Alagiah
© Fairtrade Foundation
Published February 2008
Published by Rider, an imprint of Ebury Publishing
ISBN 978-1-84-604083-2
Price: GBP 10.99

This is a most interesting and informative book about the beginning of the Fairtrade movement and the Fairtrade Foundation and about the ongoing battles to this very day; and eye-witness account from someone who has been there from the first hour.

This book is, in my opinion, a must read for anyone remotely interested in this subject and especially for anyone wishing to support and promote Fairtrade.

All royalties from the sale of this book go to the Fairtrade Foundation so, therefore, in buying this book you aid a good cause.

The writing style of this book is so open and easy despite the fact that it is a factual book and is quite full of humor and human warmth. One can nearly hear the voices of the people whose words are reproduced.

I can but recommend this book and must say that I have learned a great deal as to how it all started from just the first pages of the book and as to why and it can but make one incensed as to the way the poor farmers and worked, whether in the banana plantations or the tea gardens, we, and to a degree, especially where Fairtrade is not at work as yet, are still being treated. We still have a very long way to go before all will get a fair price for their produce and their work. The lack of a fair price for their produce could even apply to the farmers in countries such as the UK, seeing that milk is cheaper than bottled water, the latter which so often is but repackaged tap water.

I can but say that I did not realize what struggle has been to get the first Fairtrade bananas, for instance, onto the shelves of stores, and especially supermarket, in the UK and elsewhere in Europe.

It is my opinion that we must work to bring Fairtrade also to and into other “industries”, such as rubber, cotton, clothes, carpets, crafts; the list is endless, methinks.

© Michael Smith (Veshengro), March 2008